It remains to be seen whether Pittsburgh will continue to negotiate with their star blueliner or place him on the trade market. Much has been made of Letang's reported interest in Toronto as a landing spot, but that's far from a certainty considering he has no say in the matter and a number of teams would likely line up to acquire his services.

"We like the fact that Jones plays a north-south game, drives hard to the net, kills penalties and is a right hand shot," Calgary GM Jay Feaster said. Jones received a four-year, $16 million contract from Colorado prior to the 2013 season. He produced just three goals and nine points in 33 games this past campaign after hitting the 20-goal mark in his previous two years.

O'Brien was traded with David Jones for Alex Tanguay and Cory Sarich. In 28 games with the Avalanche, O'Brien had four assists and 60 penalty minutes. O'Brien should land a role on Calgary's defense corps in 2013-14.

Sarich and Alex Tanguay have been traded to the Avalanche for David Jones and Shane O'Brien. Sarich appeared in just 28 games with the Flames in 2013. He can play a physical role but he'll probably remain as a depth option in Colorado.

Tanguay, who was originally taken by the Avalanche in the first round of the 1998 draft, registered 11 goals and 27 points in 40 games with the Flames this past season. He will be united with former teammate Patrick Roy, who will serve as his new head coach. Tanguay should serve as a playmaking threat in Colorado's top-six forward group.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that the Coyotes could have a new home in time for the 2013-14 season if they don't get approval. Daly also stated that the league has multiple relocation options available.

The Lightning and Flyers will make expensive buyouts with Vincent Lecavalier and Ilya Bryzgalov, respectively, so it wouldn't be surprising if New York went down a similar path with Richards. Stay tuned.

"I would like to thank the New York Rangers and particularly Glen Sather for giving me the opportunity over the last four years to work with the Rangers," Messier said. "I am resigning my position with the team to pursue an opportunity to expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. Although some will perceive this as a reaction to the coaching decision, nothing could be further from the truth. I completely respect the decision that was made and for all the reasons it was made. I harbor no hard feelings toward Glen or the Rangers. This is a personal choice I am making to create a program in the New York area that will give our children more choices and opportunities in the future. I wish the Rangers nothing but the best in the future." We would like to wish him the best.

The Syracuse captain recorded 11 goals and 24 points in 71 AHL games this past season. He also finished second on the Crunch with 158 penalty minutes. Angelidis suited up in one game for the Lightning in 2013 and he skated in six contests the season before.

"We're going to try and accomplish that goal," Gillis said this week. "We'll see what happens." Vancouver will probably be very reluctant to buy him out because they feel he has some value in the trade market and they would like to restock their cupboard with picks and prospects. The Canucks may also already have two buyouts in mind, according to reports, in Keith Ballard and David Booth.

"I'm ready for the challenge," he told Bryan Hayes and Jamie McLennan Thursday on TSN radio. "I've been waiting three years for that and now I finally get some playing time so I'm very excited to come and I'll be ready." Bernier admitted that it was hard to stay motivated at times playing behind Jonathan Quick, but he feels that he learned a great deal and become better from the experience.

"If you just think about the Detroit Red Wings, it's actually a team I grew up idolizing," he said. "Them and Montreal were my favorite teams. Ironically, Steve Yzerman was my favorite hockey player. The Wings need a new second-line center, as it looks like Valtteri Filppula will be heading to free agency, and Lecavalier added that, "It'd definitely be a place that I think I would consider, for sure." The Canadiens, Toronto, Vancouver and Chicago have also been rumored destinations for Lecavalier's services once he's officially bought out by Tampa Bay and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

"He's finished the first year of a two-year deal," GM George McPhee said. "Maybe we'll see him after his season's over." Kuznetsov won't attend the team's development camp in July, but he's still considered to be the team's top prospect. He could end up playing for the Capitals as soon as late March in 2014, but that isn't certain.

"There may be more activity in this one than other drafts," McPhee said. "You would think that would be the case because some teams have cap issues and have to move some players. You would think there would be more of that activity. We'll see. I've talked to a lot of GMs recently, in the last three days, just trying to figure out what they want to do at the draft, what they want to do in general." He has made notable draft-day deals before when he acquired Troy Brouwer in 2011 and Mike Ribeiro in 2012. Washington might lose Ribeiro and/or Matt Hendricks to free agency, so they could look to fill those potential holes as well.

A disc in his back was pushing up against a nerve, which caused one of his legs to go numb, and it was the reason why he missed Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. "I may need surgery or another shot," he said Thursday.

"I love it here and want to stay," he said. Handzus posted just eight points in 39 games with the Blackhawks during the regular season and he had 11 points in 23 playoff matches. He spent time centering Chicago's second line over the course of the year, but if the team can find an upgrade then Handzus will probably be permitted to walk.

He said he would be willing to take a hometown discount to stay with the Blackhawks. Bickell also didn't rule out requiring surgery on his knee. He produced 23 points in 48 games during the regular season, but became a revelation in the playoffs with 17 points 23 outings.

He produced three points in 22 games during an injury-plagued season. Demers missed time with wrist, head and ankle ailments, but it didn't sour the Sharks on his potential. "Jason is a highly competitive puck moving defenseman that creates offense from the back end," GM Doug Wilson said in a statement. "We're looking forward to seeing him come back healthy and continue his growth with us."

However, TSN's Bob McKenzie is also reporting that the Wild are taking with other teams about the possibility of trading Clutterbuck as well. Clutterbuck led the team with 115 hits and he chipped in 10 points in 42 games this past season. He will become a restricted free agent next week.

He said, "if I walk away, I can walk away a champion." Mayers didn't play during the 2013 playoffs, but he was the third player - after Jonathan Toews and Michal Handzus - to lift the Stanley Cup. He suited up in 19 games during the regular season though and has 915 contests under his belt in his career. Mayers can become an unrestricted free agent on July 5.

According to insiders, Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun, the Blackhawks are shopping Bolland. Bolland netted the game-winning goal in Game 6 to help Chicago win the Stanley Cup. The Hawks are probably trying to move salary to retain potential unrestricted free agent Bryan Bickell and they do have Andrew Shaw ready to assume more responsibilities at center.

He has appeared in just six games with the Blackhawks in the past two seasons and didn't skate in any NHL contests during the lockout-shortened campaign. Olesz played in 14 games with AHL Rockford in 2013 after he recovered from a serious knee injury.

If he isn't claimed off waivers then the Stanley Cup champions will cut ties with the veteran defenseman via a buyout. Montador hasn't played an NHL game since he suffered a concussion on March 27, 2012. He is healthy now though and managed to appear in 14 games with AHL Rockford before the end of the season.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that Andrej Meszaros is the team's only player who hasn't received clearance. Coburn missed the last 15 games of the season due to a separated shoulder. He should be expected to be fine for next year.

The team will use compliance buyouts on Ilya Bryzgalov and Daniel Briere, which should give them the funds to bring back Gagne. "He's a player we're interested in bringing back," GM Paul Holmgren said Tuesday. "We don't know what the number is, but it's something we'd like to entertain. We're juggling what we'd like to do on July 5, or whether we could get it done before that. But we'll talk to Simon and his agent at the draft and see." Gagne has also said that he's willing to take a pay cut to stay in Philadelphia.

He made that known to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review early Thursday morning after reports circulated Wednesday night that he may have an interest in joining the Toronto Maple Leafs if he were unable to sign an extension with the Penguins. "I'm focused on the Penguins," Letang said. "I've never thought about playing anywhere else." GM Ray Shero has also not talked with the Leafs about a possible deal, but those rumors could pick up steam if negotiations turn sour.

He has one year left on his current deal and then he'll earn a $125,000 annual raise, with a $3.85 million cap hit. Kunitz enjoyed an excellent 2013 campaign with 22 goals and 52 points in 48 games. He has benefited from being able to play alongside Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in recent years, but that doesn't take away from his tenacity and his ability to put the puck in the net.

However, GM Paul Holmgren expects to Meszaros to get the green light in late July. The 27-year-old defenseman needed shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and he was limited to just 11 contests during the lockout-shortened season.

Holmgren classified Couturier and Brayden Schenn as untouchables, which may hinder trade discussions with other teams. Couturier had a horrible sophomore season, where he generated just four goals, 15 points and a minus-8 rating in 46 games.

"I like where we're at," Holmgren said. "I think we're going to get a good player at 11, but if you can move higher ... If you get into the guys that you really like that you think are probably franchise players, you've probably got to get up to the top four." He said there's been plenty of conversation around the league and he believes there's potential for movement.

The Ottawa Senators have decided not to extend a qualifying offer to him. Caporusso was chosen with the No. 90 overall pick in 2007, but he wasn't able to play consistently in the AHL with Binghamton. In 23 AHL games, he had six points and in 41 appearances with Elmira of the ECHL he recorded 45 points.

It was thought that his time in Ottawa could be over, but the Senators appear to still be interested in retaining his services. If Da Costa wants he can still bolt for Europe though. He had one goal and one assist in nine NHL appearances during the lockout-shortened season.

New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello said last week that the team wasn't close to re-signing Henrique. The Devils have some potential unrestricted free agents to take care of first, which is probably occupying their time at the moment.

"I'm continuing my dialogue with Lou," Morris said. "We haven't gotten to economic specifics at all. It's Lou trying to say the team will be in good shape and David can eliminate that worry from his mindset. David is digesting that information and we'll go to the next phase if we can go to the next phase with it which is, hopefully, being able to listen to an economic position from New Jersey." The fact that they haven't talked about dollars yet could be concerning with free agency just a week away. Any snag in the negotiation process could lead to Clarkson testing the market as an unrestricted free agent.

According to the source, Zubrus has agreed to terms on a three-year contract for roughly $3 million per season. However, Zubrus said, "Nothing is finalized yet. It's not a done deal. [The Devils and his agent] have talked and I take it as a very positive that everything is going to go through." It may take a few more days before something official is announced.

"So excited to be a part of this Blues' team for the next (four) years," tweeted Shattenkirk. "Grateful for the opportunity and happy to be back with the boys." Shattenkirk's contract could end up being regarded as a bit of a deal. At the age of 24, he's already looking like one of the better offensive defenseman in the NHL. He had 43 points in 2011-12 and another 23 points in 48 contests last season.

"That would be an ideal situation, I think to play here forever," Rask said. "I hope we can make that happen." The Bruins goaltender felt he had a "great year" while proving himself as a viable No. 1 after the departure of Tim Thomas. Rask played very well in the regular season and he flourished in the playoffs. GM Peter Chiarelli would like to get a deal as quickly as he can.

However, GM Peter Chiarelli has informed Khudobin that the team has to re-sign Tuukka Rask first. Khudobin can become an unrestricted free agent on July 5 and if he decides to go elsewhere then Niklas Svedberg may be the top candidate within Boston's system to replace him.

"I think the goaltender (Kari Lehtonen) is at a time in his career where he can throw a team on his back and get you there, but we just have to support him better at some of the other areas on the ice so there are some good pieces," Ruff said. "There is some good young talent. There are some veterans that are some good quality veterans. It'll be making some decisions of putting some pieces in the right place to get us to where we want to go." Lehtonen had a 2.66 GAA and .916 save percentage in 36 games last season. If the Stars put a greater emphasis on supporting him, those numbers could obviously improve.

"Vinny has been a significant reason for many of our past successes, including the 2004 Stanley Cup, and his contributions to the community are immeasurable," said GM Steve Yzerman in a statement. "The Lightning organization is indebted to Vinny; we thank him for all he has done here and we wish him well as he moves forward. After much internal deliberation, we believe this will prove to be a pivotal move for us as we strive to achieve our long term goal of competing at the highest level, year-in, year-out. The economics and structure of the CBA are necessitating this decision and we at the Lightning are excited at the newly created opportunities this presents to us." He had $45 million left over seven seasons on his 11-year, $85 million contract. The buyout will cost the Bolts $30 million over the next 14 years and Lecavalier will become an unrestricted free agent.

"I think that's something you have to evaluate," Ruff said. "There is lots of examples of players in that category that have come back and played as long as the player in that category pays attention to his fitness level and has an elite level of conditioning, which I've seen players that get to that point. They can be effective players in today's game, and that's whether the legs underneath you can still carry you to the places you need to go on the ice." Modano is 43 and hasn't played since 2010-11, so a comeback seems very unlikely.

It's looking more and more like Bobrovsky will become a restricted free agent. Offer sheets from other NHL clubs aren't too big of a threat to the Blue Jackets given that they have the option to simply match them, but Bobrovsky leaving for the KHL is a very real possibility. He's being offered a big contract with SKA Saint Petersburg.

Kane spent a fair amount of time talking about the Stanley Cup itself. "It's unbelievable ... You know, we've been, you know, parading around Chicago the past couple nights, and wherever that thing is, people tend to want be there and to be around it," Kane said. "It's what we believe to be the coolest trophy in sports. It's, you know, unbelievable to look at. I mean, it feels like, you know, you're lifting 35 pounds, but it feels like nothing when you're lifting it, especially on the ice after winning." Chicago will hold a parade on Friday to celebrate the Blackhawks' Cup winning season.

The deal is expected to be for about $3 million per year. Zubrus is among the many concerns for GM Lou Lamoriello this summer, so the team hopes to get several potential headaches out of the way early.